# how to remove downy (vellus) hair on face?



## kmr85

Short Version:

If you remove the fine, downy hairs from your face, how do you do it and what kind of results have you had?

Long Version:

Sorry if this has been covered, I searched the forum for "vellus" and got nothing.  I can be verbose when I don't care enough to edit, so I wrote an abridged version above.  XD

My entire lower face is covered with vellus hair.  It's *too much* where I would have sideburns if I was a guy.  Aside from the sideburn area, there's enough of it that it adds a little extra texture to my skin.  By thick I don't mean terminal hair - it's white and downy - there's just a lot of it!  (I have *lots of hair* everywhere - extremely thick hair on the head, I need tylenol 2's before brazilians, I shave my arms, etc)  I got carried away plucking an eyebrow and yanked out all the vellus hairs on my forehead, and was astounded by how much dewier my skin looks without it.

So how do I remove this hair from my entire face?  I'm looking for something I can do at home (no lasers, no threading) because I'm an unemployed recent graduate.

I don't want to Nair because I have relatively sensitive skin, and I can *never* get all the Nair off, which leads to a breakout. 

I don't want to shave because I don't want my husband to feel stubble on my face!  However, I shave my arms and that always grows back in fine - never stubble-y.  Would the hair on my face do the same?  I'm not eager to find out through trial and error and have to endure teasing from my husband if I have stubble!

I was going to get some soft wax, but I googled and was reading that waxing (and I'd assume also plucking, since it's the same end result - removing hair from the bulb) can cause vellus hair to "activate" and turn terminal.  I don't want man hair on my forehead!!!  (This is distinct from the "shaving will cause fine tapered hairs to grow back thick and blunt" advice - what I read was that irritation caused by removing thin, white, downy vellus hair can cause a thick, dark, terminal hair to grow back in its place, if your hormones/body are at all predisposed to growing facial hair.)

Does anyone remove the downy, white hair from their face?  How do you do it, and have you ever had dark, thick hairs grow as a probable result from this?

Please reply, I'm all grown up now and going on interviews, and I want to look my most polished!  I'm trying to go from scruffy nerd with a frizzy ponytail to a coiffed, competent-looking adult!


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## zadidoll

Waxing would be your best option. No it will not cause the hair's texture to change when it grows back in, if that were the case then ALL women who wax would have men's beards. If this is something you still don't want to do then the best option would probably be laser as it will be a permanent procedure.


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## kmr85

Thanks for your help, I'll try waxing next time I get around to

I've got follow-up questions!

Are the products that I use after waxing my body ok to put on my face?  I have a tube of BikiniZone.  Is that ok?

I know not to wax if you use a Retin-A product (I don't).  I do use a salicylic acid product, should I refrain for a day or two before waxing my face?


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## GirlyEnthusiast

I have the ever-so-annoying peach fuzz on my face too. I never cared much about it until I realized how noticeable it was in the sunlight. I bought a NoNo about 8 months ago and it works very very well on my face. However it hasn't really helped to stop the re-growth (which it's supposed to do). After I use the NoNo, I lightly rub the buffer it came with over my face and it completely removes any left over hair that the NoNo didn't take off. Before dropping $200 on the NoNo you might just pickup the buffers they sell and see if that does the trick for you. They're only $7 on their website and you may even be able to find them cheaper somewhere. http://www.my-no-no.com/nono-8800/nono-Refill-Buffers-2-Large.asp


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## zadidoll

> Originally Posted by *kmr85* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> Thanks for your help, I'll try waxing next time I get around to
> 
> I've got follow-up questions!
> 
> Are the products that I use after waxing my body ok to put on my face?  I have a tube of BikiniZone.  Is that ok?
> 
> I know not to wax if you use a Retin-A product (I don't).  I do use a salicylic acid product, should I refrain for a day or two before waxing my face?


 Refrain from anything like facial scrubs, peels, acne products a day or two before and after waxing. The other benefit of waxing is that some layers of dead skin will also come off. As for BikiniZone, I've never used that product so I don't know. It should be fine but when in doubt just get a facial waxing kit. If you have a Sally's Beauty supply near you there is a microwavable product by Gigi for under $4 for the face.

Quote:

Originally Posted by *GirlyEnthusiast* /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I have the ever-so-annoying peach fuzz on my face too. I never cared much about it until I realized how noticeable it was in the sunlight. I bought a NoNo about 8 months ago and it works very very well on my face. However it hasn't really helped to stop the re-growth (which it's supposed to do). After I use the NoNo, I lightly rub the buffer it came with over my face and it completely removes any left over hair that the NoNo didn't take off. Before dropping $200 on the NoNo you might just pickup the buffers they sell and see if that does the trick for you. They're only $7 on their website and you may even be able to find them cheaper somewhere. http://www.my-no-no.com/nono-8800/nono-Refill-Buffers-2-Large.asp

That's another great idea. I've seen NoNo used before but the price was too high for me. I might pick up those buffers as well to get rid of a few peach fuzz on my own face.


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## reesesilverstar

I have a question, doesn't removing the peach fuzz cause the hair to grow back thicker and darker?


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## GirlyEnthusiast

No, that's one of those infamous beauty myths  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />


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## zadidoll

No. That is a myth. Again, think about this... if that were really the case then a vast majority of women would have men's beards. How thick your hair is established by your genes. The pro to constant waxing is that over time damage is done to the hair follicle which can result in that hair follicle from growing any more hair.


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## reesesilverstar

Hmmm, interesting. 

Thanks


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## divadoll

Yeah, if that was true, I'd have a full beard by now :/

I have a NoNo.  It worked well on my legs.  I wouldn't try it again on my face because it burnt a little part of my upper lip and I can still see the 1mm scar it left.  Epilators don't seem to work on my legs, it leaves the little fine hairs.  The NoNo gets the fine hairs and the buffer takes the dead skin away too.  My leg hairs altho spare, have come in finer.  I'm sure you can just get those buffers from the dollar store without a NoNo but be carefull not to scrub too long.  It will damage the mantle of your skin and make you raw but its kinda sneaky.


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## Dragonfly

Ever since I had plastic surgery on my face 15 or so years ago, I have an over abundance of soft white down, on my face.

To deal with it, I have been shaving my face once a month, ever since.

It does not grow back coarse or dark - exactly the same as what I shaved off.

By the way, it takes a month to grow back noticeably, not a couple of days like a man's beard would.

And on top of getting rid of the excess hair, I give my face a good exfoliation.

My advice to anyone that wants to try shaving - do a dry shave without any soap/shaving cream.

This way you shave exactly where you need and you are less likely to nick yourself.


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## Annelle

I'm not really sure how to explain this.  Here's a picture (There's a lot of random asian knock offs of the same basic deal, and I think some english versions too.)

It's basically like a spiral with two handles on it.  You bend it (so one side of the spiral is wider, and the other side is tighter) and as you roll it across your skin, the hair gets caught and tweezed out.  I think you can find it cheap on ebay or perhaps some asian gift stores.  It can't cause any sort of chemical burns cause it's just literally a spiral (it'd be the same thing as tweezing but since it's a ton of spirals it'll grab a bunch at once and you don't have to worry about actually seeing or finding individual hairs)


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## zadidoll

Ok, did anyone else but me cringe at the site of that contraption?


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## GirlyEnthusiast

OMG I saw them selling this on the home shopping channel once.. even the host was like "oh that definitely has a slight sting doesn't it?" haha

Quote:

Originally Posted by *zadidoll* /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Ok, did anyone else but me cringe at the site of that contraption?


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## divadoll

Its a tight spring. I thought about getting one but I have an automatic tweezer for my upper lip.  That hurts too, but they all hurt, my face is more sensitive than the rest of me.


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## katana

Everyone has the very fine, downy like peach fuzz hair on their face.

It is always most noticable in the sunlight, but mainly only to yourself when looking in a mirror or to the side along your cheek when you turn your head.

I would perhaps try bleaching it if its to dark...... if there is really too much of it to deal with, then I would try waxing.


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## divadoll

On some women, they are dark and long.  Lightening them would only make them stand out even more (more contrasting to skin tone).   Shaving, NoNo, epilation, waxing... they all work.


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## suddenlyshel

Yeah, it would hurt SO MUCH to have that pull out your hairs.  I can only imagine!  It'd be like pulling out nose hairs, one by one!  Ouch!


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## suddenlyshel

I was told laser removal is only $250...if that's true, that isn't bad at all.  And it's permanent.


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## jill23

I had a major issue with hair growing in on my face. I use the Silk'n Flash &amp; Go for the hair removal. I've been using this device for about 5 months now, and I rarely get any hair growing in anymore. I'm glad I invested in the Flash &amp; Go because it is easy to do in my own home and much more convenient then going to get laser treatments.


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## Fern12

Jill23

Did you have dark hair or white?  I have very fine white hair all over my face, chin, side of my face, and longer white under my chin.  It is so embarrassing and I avoid going outside. ;(  Do you think the Flash and Go would work for me?  Thanks for your help.


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## brennn

I have that spring &amp; I love it! I noticed a little bit of faint fine light hair &amp; didn't want to do anything harsh, but I wanted it gone.

I ordered a Remington one from Amazon &amp; it was pretty cheap.  It's super easy to use -there's a short learning curve on how to best hold &amp; twist- but it's really quick to use &amp; doesn't leave my face irritated.  It (like waxing) is pretty good at pulling hair out by the root so you don't have to do it very often.  It can pinch a bit, especially if you were to try and take a large area of hair out in one big twist but it's really not that bad, &amp; it gets easier every time.  Since you're doing the twisting, you can control the exact speed and area you're going over to minimize pain.

It is a weird looking contraption though...


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## experienced pro

I am an experienced esthetician and I remove vellous hair with a process called dermaplaning.  Dermaplaning is a "shaving of sort" but it is done with a surgical blade and is only to be done by an experienced and specially trained professional medical esthetician, Physicians Assistant, Registered Nurse, or a Physician.  It is not something you can do yourself.  Vellous hair grows back in exactly as it was.  It takes from 4-6 weeks for you to notice that it's back.  We have two types of hair on our body.  Vellous hair which grows on the face, chest and back.  It's downy and soft and very visible when the light hits it.  Terminal hair, is the kind of hair that grows on our head, arms, legs, eyebrows, pubic area and on the lower half of mens faces.  Because terminal hair is coarser, when it is shaven, it will have a blunt edge to it, and therefore appears to be coarser when it grows in.   The NoNo is a very mild form of lasar hair removal.   From my experience, most clients are regretful with their purchase and never 100% satisfied because with most, the hair will grow back.  I don't support Nair or any other type of chemical depilatory.  In my experience the chemical hair removers are usually too strong and irritate the skin and doesn't remoce the hair.  The only real gaurantee is laser hair removal.  However, it does take several treatments (ranging from 6-10 sessions) and is very costly.  Even with laser hair emoval, I have encountered the situation where it does not remove 100% of hair.  Sometimes there are a few hairs that grow back in.  So if you're considering make sure you go to a reputable facility.  The best way to find a good place is to get a referral from someone who has good results, and can recommend from a good experience.  Hope this information helps. ~ Experienced pro


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## YoAdrienne

If you get waxed, you should only put aloe on afterwards. You can use a cold compress too if it's real red or stings. No salicylic acid


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## zappagirl

I have recently seen the same on my face. I am fair skinned and the hair or downy stuff is very pale. It is fine and I think it is because of my menopause. But it does also worry me. I plucked a lot of it out tonight and it is painless and my skin looks smoother. Maybe you have tried this also.


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## LuciaVW

I am very fair and have a lot of villus hair on my face. I've tried plucking and the Bellabe, but the best thing to do is to shave. There is no stubble and only needs to be done once a month or so.


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## lorizav

I use the flash n go too and while the hair is not completely gone yet it is growing in much slower and I am treating about once a month now. On my lower legs I am using it too but the progress has been much slower. Overall I am pleased with it. Gets you a ton of sephora points too lol


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## Kmp1211

I was not successful in removing the peach fuzzy hair on my face with lazer as it only removes dark hair. Anyone have other success with lazer.


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## Chicki

I shave off the vellus hair every week with a new razor. No stubble, it doesn't come back darker, makes makeup application so smooth  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />


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## LuciaVW

It is easy to get rid of vellus hair on face, just shave it! No, you won't get stubble and not only does it remove the hair, but it takes off the top layer of dead skin and your face will feel smooth and soft. Use short strokes in the direction of the hair. As I got older the hair on my face, although downy, got thicker so I grabbed a razor and did the deed. The hair is gone and my skin looks great. I do it about once a week, but can go even longer without any noticeable growth. I can assure everyone that you won't get stubble and your skin will love you for it!


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## Kristine Walker

I shave it, it doesn't get stubbly since the hair is fine. My makeup looks better without the hairs, so even though I don't have much I shave it.


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## AshleySawyer

No, Plucking and waxing doesn't cause a change in the texture of hair. Not from my experience at least. You should go for waxing without any doubts.


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## Terrie Dawson

If you are using waxing for your face then it can be a painful method for removing hairs. Also, your skin can produce scars after waxing. I would like to suggest to use painless method such as applying hair removal creams. Dermology hair removal cream is quite effective in removing facial hair. Before using it please do test on your skin.


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